http://www.kathleenkeifer.com/ Kathleen’s paintings show us why anyone would want to live here. The weather is of course pristine; it is almost always sunny and 75 degrees, and it is never humid or buggy. The scenery is breathtaking. And there is so much to do, including of course nothing. Indeed, many of the coastlines’ locals seem to be very practiced at that. Keen observers, like Keifer, prefer to depict them as being in-the-moment, completely in their own world. The artist lets us look over her shoulder and envy these characters. For one thing, they’ve figured out how to live here; more important, they’re certainly not in any hurry.

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is a California based internationally collectedartist. She is the leading force of the New California Realism.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~Pablo Picasso The famous artist quote applies to KathleenKeifer’s

lovely paintings. Kathleen brings a fresh, cleanperspective to her colorful scenes of everyday life in the sunalong our Pacific coastline (and beyond). Her images of tannedsurfers, beat-up VW vans and convertibles, the Ferris wheel onthe Santa Monica pier, swaying palm trees, and remarkablesunsets remind me of what the locals say to each other about350 days a year: “This is why we live here.”

Kathleen’s paintings show us why anyone would want to live here.The weather is of course pristine; it is almost always sunny and75 degrees, and it is never humid or buggy. The scenery isbreathtaking. And there is so much to do, including of coursenothing. Indeed, many of the coastlines’ locals seem to be verypracticed at that. Keen observers, likeKeifer, prefer to depictthem as being in-the-moment, completely in their own world.The artist lets us look over her shoulder and envy thesecharacters. For one thing, they’ve figured out how to live here;more important, they’re certainly not in any hurry.

Artist Statement

My paintings invite the viewer to consider the complex relationship betweentime and timelessness. This is particularly evident in my series work in whichI aim to capture the infinite changes of time; the passing of the hours andthe seasons. It is the sheer visual interaction between the elements, taken intheir bare simplicity that interests me. Water, sky, and architecture changetheir appearance with the shifts in weather and light. My broken brushstrokes depict light and color in luminous waves, dissolving form into ashimmering surface of vibrant light. For me, painting captures the veryessence of time and its passage.

Backstory

Born and raised in Chicago, Kathleen Keifer is a second-generation artist.Her mother, also a fine artist, exposed Keifer to the world of art andsupervised her training from a very early age. This legacy continues today asKeifer closely nurtures the development of the artistic leaning in each if herthree daughters, inspiring a third generation of female artists.

Why should they be? And why should we be, for that matter? Why not lingerover Kathleen’s beautiful paintings and savor our own moment doing so?

The Under the Boardwalk series contains mysterious intimacy. Who are thesebeach goers, hidden beneath their hats and umbrellas? What are they doing?What are they saying? I paint hidden conversations I've glimpsed on beachesin the Hamptons, Atlantic City, New England. I paint what I see when I'msipping my caramel mocha in my favorite Starbucks on the West Coast: themysteries of Laguna, Venice, Manhattan and Hermosa Beach, even SantaMonica, the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. I try to preserve the memory ofthese summers as I see them--